Golden Hair
by AwesomeTrinket
Summary: Five times Taranys acted like a love-stricken idiot in front of Baleygr (and five times Baleygr was that idiot).
1. Had a Crush at First Sight

_no one:  
me at 3 am: gay sw boys gay sw boys gAY SW BOYS-_

_So I completed NaNoWriMo and finished the first draft of my novel, Navigating the Bizarre. I also wrote the last chapter in a while for one of my other all-consuming fanfictions, which left me time to think of a new SW fic, as if I didn't already have too much to write. And what did I make, you may ask? Why, a ship fic!_

_This was inspired by a mix of things. For all you /r/summonerswar redditors out there, how many of you remember that one fanfiction that was… mentally scarring but also shipped Taranys and Baleygr? Well, the first chapter was mostly fluff, and I sooooorta got inspired by it, so… whoopdy-doo?_

* * *

**Moment 1  
Had a Crush at First Sight**

Taranys is not one to believe in "love at first sight."

That's just not who he is. Sure, he's optimistic about love and relationships, but love at first sight is just something he saw in movies. Love is… a complicated thing, after all. It's not as easy as walking into a room, making eye contact with someone and thinking _yes, that man there I just laid eyes on is my soul mate, despite the fact I know nothing about him._

What he _does_ believe in, however, is a "crush at first sight." That was a simpler version of it all; walking into a room and thinking "wow, that guy's pretty cute." This new guy is no exception.

It all started ordinarily enough. Apparently, the Summoner had a new fusion going on. Taranys had thought they were already done with fusing monsters, after bringing the Paladin of light, Jeanne, to the Sky Island. But, nevertheless, there they are, surrounded by the other monsters on the island who are equally curious to see this new monster.

Truth be told, he doesn't even know that there was a fusion happening until his coworker, Hwa, nudges him as he clocks out of his shift at the coffee shop.

"You going to check out the fusion or what?" Hwa tilts her head at Taranys, to which he responds with a look of utter confusion.

Said response is a rather elegant "…Huh?"

Hwa sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers, "You know? The fusion? The one the Summoner's been prepping for months now?"

Taranys shrugs, with a sheepish smile across his face, "First I've heard of it."

She groans in response, "You've got to be kidding me. How could you not know? The rock you live under must be real comfy."

"Must be," Taranys smiles, "But I guess you've piqued my interest now. Do you know when they're having the fusion?"

"Uhhh…" Hwa's eyes darts up at the clock hanging above their heads, "About five minutes from now."

"Well, I suppose I don't have anything else to do today," He says. It's true; Taranys doesn't really do much these days. Besides, any opportunity to get out of the general monotony of life (yes, even a monster for the Sky Arena could have a monotonous life) is something he'd gladly jump on any time of the day. Taranys stifles a yawn, forcing himself to keep his eyes open. Why is he always so tired nowadays?

"Great!" Hwa grins, leaning back on the granite counter and rolling her head back. The crick in her neck pops, and she sighs in delight.

* * *

The Summoner is cloaked in the typical robes an experienced Summoner would wear. The identity of the monsters' Summoner is one of the island's greatest mysteries – the monsters don't even know if they are male or female. But, nevertheless, there they are; prepping the Fusion Hexagram with all the materials needed to summon this new guy.

Other monsters surround the Hexagram; whether they are curious like Hwa or don't have anything better to do like Taranys is up for debate. Taranys's coworker has left him mostly to himself, instead eagerly chatting with the girl next to her, Lisa. The two of them frequently fought of the three-headed beast Khi'zar Kha'jul together in the same team, so he supposes it's only natural she'd take a liking to her.

"You have any idea who this new fusion is?" Hwa leans over the gates around the Fusion Hexgram.

"No, but I hope it's a Valkyrie," Lisa sighs. Her red hair is tied up into a tight bun near the top of her head, but some loose strands has worked its way out of the bun and instead fall over her shoulders. "We need more Valkyries around here. Katarina always keeps herself locked in her apartment, you know?"

Hwa smiles at the Neostone Agent, "Yeah, but my guess is it's a Pioneer!"

"Will you two shut up?" Talia hisses to the left of Taranys, elbowing the two fire-element girls, "It's starting!"

That catches Taranys's attention, and he turns back to the Fusion Hexagram as the Summoner starts chanting in an unknown language, their voice kept low. The fusion materials disappear into light and flow into the grooves of the Hexagram. Lightning spits from the center of the circle; growing brighter and brighter until there is a dazzling flash, forcing all those nearby to shield their eyes.

When the light clears, Taranys takes his arm away from his eyes. Standing on the platform is a man in red and yellow armor. He radiates a strange, almost ethereal beauty; the sunlight shines off his golden hair and tan skin and giving him an otherworldly aura, like a statue made by a master sculptor.

He is, for lack of a better word, downright gorgeous.

_Whoa._

The man's eyes meet Taranys's, and his yellow irises seem to bore holes in his soul. The corner of his lip turns upwards, smirking at Taranys; lifting his hand up just a tad to wave at him. The Druid's heart skips a beat in his chest at the sight of his smirk. Out of all the monsters surrounding the Fusion Hexagram, the new guy had chosen him.

"Fire Lightning Emperor complete," the Summoner inhales. "Welcome to the island, Baleygr."

"Pleasure to be here, Summoner," Baleygr responds with. His voice is deep and smooth, tinged with an accent Taranys can't really place his finger on, but it drives him crazy.

_Baleygr._ That's his name. A beautiful, exotic name for a beautiful, exotic man.

* * *

"You know this place pretty well, huh?" Baleygr hums at Taranys. "I'm Baleygr, by the way. Baleygr Empe."

"Taranys Drune," Taranys says, "And yes, I've been here for… I'm going to say a year- no, make that a year and a half."

"Great! So that means you can show me around, yeah?"

Taranys is taken off-guard, but nevertheless responds, "Hm- oh, yeah, of course!"

"Thaaaanks, you're the best," He grins at Taranys, holding two fingers up in a peace sign and making Taranys's heart skip a beat.

As he takes Baleygr on a mini-tour around the island, pointing at the important buildings he would need to know, the man wraps one tan, muscled arm around Taranys's shoulders; making him falter at the Infirmary. At some point, Baleygr had been awakened by the Summoner, so now his hair is longer; flowing down his back and parting near the front to reveal a crown made out of pure gold.

"I like you, Taranys," Baleygr says, "Whaddya say we be friends here, yeah? You seem like someone cool to hang around."

Well, who was Taranys to say no to a really cute guy?

"W-well, of course we could," Taranys gulps, realizing far too late that he's burning at the cheeks and the tips of his ears are probably turning red.

"Great! It's tough not really knowing anyone on the island here – I mean, I'm old friends with Katarina, but other than that – well, you get what I mean." Baleygr lets go of Taranys now, going on in his little rant. The grip of his fingers still ghost around Taranys's left arm, as if trying to remind him that Baleygr had been there, holding him surprisingly close.

Yeah, Taranys has a crush at first sight, for sure.


	2. Acted Like an Idiot in Guild Wars

_He-llo, I really don't know what to say here in this Author's Note right now. It's really weird, too, because I can legit ramble on for hours in these, but I have to stop myself so I don't end up as one of those authors whose A/Ns are longer than the actual chapter. But can I just say it is REALLY fun to write in the present tense? I've always been more of a past-tense writer, so taking a break from my usual style and taking on something fresh is a bit difficult, but I love it._

_Please keep in mind this is my first actual romance-centric fic, so I may not be getting everything right. If you think I can do anything better, don't be afraid to let me know in the comments down below! Every bit of advice is appreciated and does help me, even if you think it wouldn't._

* * *

**Moment 2  
Acted Like an Idiot in Guild Wars**

Taranys knew there was going to be a problem when, after a couple of days, his crush did not weaken. At all.

He's pretty sure it all came to a head sometime during the first Guild Wars of the day. The Summoner was in a rather prestigious guild, and worked hard to keep up their reputation among their guild-mates. Taranys is placed in his usual team today; fighting alongside Amelia and Perna.

Taranys turns to Amelia, "Do you know who we're going up against this time?"

"…Uhhh, I think the Summoner said something about a Seara?" The Unicorn chews on the inside of her mouth as she stumbles across her words, currently in her human form.

To say his relationship with Amelia was awkward would be an understatement. Taranys met Amelia about a week after he was first summoned, when he ended up in the Infirmary for rather grievous injuries. Amelia nursed him back to health, and asked him out on a date once he was about to be discharged.

…There really was no way to let her know gently that, no, it wasn't her specifically. It was just that she (and every other girl) wasn't his type.

Perna coos somewhere behind the two, curled up in a loose ball with his wings spread out on the ground. His feathers are a mix of red and orange and yellow, as if to give the illusion of a bright flame. The Phoenix is half-asleep, patiently waiting for their entrance into the Guild Battle. The Summoner calls for the three and they get up, Amelia looking over her schedule.

"New guy's coming in after us," Amelia remarks. "He, Chloe and Katarina'll be cleaning up the second round."

Taranys's heart misses a beat at the very mention of Baleygr. "Oh?"

"Yeah. There they are now," Amelia points and sighs wistfully at the sight of the handsome blonde, Taranys tempted to do the same as he looks over at him. Now Baleygr is clutching a spear – as golden as his hair – that shines in the early morning light. He's sitting on the ground, smiling and laughing at some joke that the wind Valkryie next to him barked out.

God, Taranys wishes he could make Baleygr smile like that.

Baleygr meets eye contact with him and smiles, calling out, "Hey, Taranys! You're up today?"

"Yeah, I'm in Round One with Amelia and Perna," He smiles back as he responds to Baleygr.

Baleygr chuckles, "Well, I got shafted into Round Two. You think the Summoner will ever pair us up sometime?"

Taranys blushes and bites the inside of his mouth at the thought of being so close to him as he struggles to come up with a response.

"Hey! Eyes up front!" Amelia cries out, waving her arms around.

Taranys gasps, breaking his gaze away from Baleygr and instead turning to look over his enemies. Three girls are on the opposing side: Seara, Giana and Fran. The two Oracles seem calm, almost smug, while Fran yawns wide and stretches her gangly arms; reaching over her head and then extending her legs out. Together, they make quite an intimidating team.

_Round One!_

Fran goes first; casting Fairy's Blessing and sharpening the weapons of all her allies. At the same time, an Immunity blessing is brought over everywhere like a good-luck charm. Ah, well. There goes the hope of being able to stun anyone on the team. Amelia's reverted back to her original form; a blue Unicorn with white wings and an intimidating horn on her forehead.

"Seara, dearest, what do you say we finish these guys up before tea time?" Giana hums.

Seara smiles and claps her hands. "Oh, that sounds delightful! Clean up that Druid over there, and I'll take care of the rest!"

Giana flicks her fan, before abruptly planting a bomb on Taranys, laughing as she does.

Wait, what?

_Additional Turn!_

Time seems to slow around Giana now. Her dark hair has tinges of purple in them, and she flips it over her shoulder as she casts Critical Error. _Tick, tick, tick_. A blast of energy emits from her body, rushing in a wave at Taranys's team. Taranys instinctively grits his teeth and stiffens up as the pain hits him and spreads through his body. Perna's lying on the ground now, temporarily stunned and unable to move.

"Come on, come on, come on…!" Amelia hisses, planting both feet firmly onto the ground.

Perna's turn goes by and when (and only when) his turn ends he gets back up and into the air. His Violent runes don't activate, and there goes his chance of being able to turn the tables by himself. Alright, it looks like everything's up to Taranys now.

Oh, what _could_ Taranys do at this point? He's already got a bomb spell about to blow at any moment, and for a moment he regrets having Violent runes on him instead of… well, literally anything else. Touch of Punishment is pretty much worthless at this point, because in order to stun, the enemy team needed to lose the Immunity, and fast.

Forest of Living is up and ready to use, but instead Taranys decides to go on the offense route and hits Seara with a Wild Blow. After all, what other choice _did_ he have? With the Wild Blow, he recovers part of his stamina back, and though it's not enough to fully mitigate the damage Critical Error dealt, it should be enough to keep him going for the rest of the battle.

There, everything's going to be okay. Amelia would get her turn soon, and she'll be able to transform back into a human and cleanse off this bomb with a Purifying Wave –

_Additional Turn!_

The Violent runes in him activate. The air around Taranys seems to turn frigid as the _one_ thing he hoped wouldn't happen comes true. Time starts to slow around him, but it's already too late. A bomb spell waits for no one and nothing, and detonates on Taranys's head. The damage is too strong, and he can't tough it out this time; not after Critical Error.

…

_Druid's Secret Plan._

New life is breathed into Taranys, and he rises back up from the dead, taking on a more animalistic form. Claws dig into the Guild Conquest ground, and Taranys bears his newfound fangs at the three girls on the enemy team.

Amelia takes on her human form, engulfing herself in light before returning to the battleground. A passive magic within her activates and everyone's immune to the harmful spells their enemy can cast. Amelia throws a bolt of ice at Fran, freezing her to the ground, and just like that, it seems to signal for Perna to start going wild on the team.

He casts a Flame Nova, compressing raw energy of fire around Fran, before it explodes around her ears. With a piercing scream, Fran's thrown out of the battlegrounds, and not even those tiny fairy wings of hers can stop her descent out of the arena.

"Fran!" Giana screams, reaching out one hand at where the Fairy Queen used to be. She turns toward Perna and snarls, "You're going to pay for that!"

To the sidelines, Taranys hears a whoop and clapping; the husky tones of the voice were obviously Baleygr's.

_Additional Turn!_

Perna hits an Arcane Blast on Seara, stunning her as she yells and drops down to the ground.

_Additional Turn!_

It's time for another Flame Nova. Perna's caws bounce off the walls as he rises up and spreads his wings. The flames are burning, burning, _burning_, so bright – Giana has to shield her eyes as she's targeted this time. Giana's health drops, and now she's staggering on her feet; one more hit from pretty much anyone and she'll be down for the count.

Taranys snarls and dashes towards Giana. One claw sweeps up and slashes down at her, as hard as he can for a Wild Blow. There goes Giana now as she's hurled out of the room; looks like it's just up to Seara now. Taranys returns to his normal form of a Druid now, slamming his wooden staff to the ground to discharge the leftover energy across the ground.

Baleygr whistles sharply. Taranys turns around, and there he is, grinning and giving a thumbs-up at him.

He cups his hands over his mouth and cheers, "You're doing great, Taranys!"

And there Taranys goes, standing there and letting his ears and face burn.

Eventually, he remembers what his tongue is used for, and replies, "Oh- oh, uhm, thank you?"

Katarina's leaning next to Baleygr, polishing his sword as Chloe lays her staff down. All eyes are on him now, and surely he can finish off Seara and gain at least _some_ of Baleygr's respect. If he can make it through this battle, he can sit back and witness Baleygr's own skills in the battlefield. That sounds nice.

"Save the conversations for later!" Amelia yells. "We've got things to do and Oracles to fight!"

Taranys snaps out of his daze just in time as Seara wakes up from her stunning spell. But, alas, life isn't going to be that easy for him. Violent runes inside of Seara activate, and there she begins to cackle maniacally. The fate of Taranys's destruction becomes a reality – a bomb and poison spell are planted upon him again.

_It's okay, it's okay. Amelia can cleanse off the bomb this time, everything's fine – _

_Additional Turn!_

Or not.

The Promised Time is here. A spell is cast upon the three of them; oh, how could Taranys have forgotten Seara's almost extraordinary ability to detonate bomb spells almost at will? As the bomb upon his head blows up and takes off the rest of his health, he couldn't help but think: _well, there goes the opportunity to cheer Baleygr on._


	3. Let My New Friend Get Blackout Drunk

_Its-a me, your friendly neighborhood sw writer_

_So is it just me, or do all you fellow writers make specific playlists that have the same "mood" as the fic or work you're working on, and just have it kinda… playing in the background as you write? Because that's what I've done with one of my novels, and now I'm working on playlists for the other two and this fic! _

_As I write this, ToAH just reset and I spent a solid 30 minutes on the Zaiross-Akroma stage. In case you guys are still stuck on that stage, the team I used is Dias (L), Shaina, Maruna, Harmonia, Eladriel. You just need a monster who can revive and a dark tank, but you absolutely need a Harmonia. She has done WONDERS for me, even more so than Garo._

* * *

**Moment 3  
Let My New Friend Get Blackout Drunk**

"You told that guy about where you work, right?" Katarina struggles to keep her eyes open, pressing her forehead against the table in front of her laptop.

"Yeah, I did," Baleygr hums as he ties his hair up into a tight ponytail. "But hey, it's up to him if he wants to visit or not."

He's singing softly under his breath as images of Taranys flicker through his mind. Why is he so obsessed with that man as of late? Maybe it was those eyes of his, the gentle gaze with eyes the color of sunflowers. It doesn't help that a gaze like that's almost always accompanied by a sweet smile and the low rumble of his voice. He's pretty damn jealous of the length of Taranys's hair, too; the silver locks tumble down his waist almost effortlessly.

He likes Taranys; he really does. After the Guild Wars incident about a week ago, he'd more or less been coming to watch every battle Taranys was put in. It also helped that Baleygr had pretty much all but dragged Taranys to the Infirmary, despite his protests that he really was okay and absolutely did _not_ need to go there again. The "again" didn't seem to really register at the time.

"Oh my god, just _ask him out_, will you?" Katarina sighs as she all but stabs the Backspace key on her keyboard. "Seriously, it's pathetic watching you two dance around this issue."

Baleygr smirks and calls out from the other room, "Quite tempting, yes, but you know how guys get when some handsome man randomly asks them out. We got lucky with Tesarion all those years ago."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," She says. "I don't really know much about Taranys, though, so I'm no help here."

"Oh, you did your best back then," He says as he shrugs on his work uniform. Today was a night shift at that bar near the edge of Mt. White Ragon. The chilly air around the base of the mountain was uncomfortable for a fire monster as is, but at least Ragon is a popular tourist attraction for its hot springs and for being the place where legendary Summoner Taihan had first met with the young lady, Stardust, who had singlehandedly saved the world from the Dark Summoners and Lady Arang.

Even though she'd stopped total chaos from unleashing, Baleygr couldn't help but wonder why no one had done anything about those Dimensional Rifts that'd ripped open during the final confrontation between Stardust and Lady Arang.

Ah well. That doesn't matter, anyway.

* * *

"God, you would not believe the amount of drinks Frigate can slam down," Hwahee groans, mixing two liquids together in a glass. "I counted it once, and he'd gone through thirteen shots of rum in five minutes. _Thirteen! _He was all fired up, and probably would've had more if I hadn't cut him off."

"Well, at least it wasn't whiskey," Baleygr shudders. "And besides, he's a Pirate Captain. What'd you expect?"

"I mean, yeah, but not _all_ Pirate Captains are raging alcoholics. It just so happens the worst of them is a regular here," She sighs, finishing up the drink and pushing it across the counter to the patron. He grabs it in one hand and makes some comment at Hwahee that seems innocent enough, but clearly makes her uncomfortable and want to puke. She looks at Baleygr with the kind of expression that said nothing out loud, but spoke dire urgency to him.

"Hey, keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself, buddy," Baleygr calls out at the patron. It seems to do the trick, and Pervert Guy shuts up. If it were up to him, though, that creep would be halfway out the door by now, but alas, it's company policy that the customer's gotta stay 'till it's clear harassment.

"Thanks," Hwahee exhales in utter relief.

Baleygr waves it off. "Ah, it's nothing."

The two bartenders look up as the bar door opens, kicking up freezing gusts before it's shut almost instantly after.

Baleygr leans over with a massive grin on his face and whispers to Hwahee, "That's him. That's the hot guy I told you about."

Hwahee glances over before whistling, "Damn, nice."

Taranys pauses and takes a moment to shake the snow out of his white hair before making his way to the counter Baleygr stands behind. The blonde in question turns around and starts cleaning off a glass, in a desperate attempt to make it seem as if he had _definitely_ not been staring at him and commenting to his coworker; no, of _course_ he wasn't.

Taranys smiles as he sits down on a barstool and coos, "Baleygr, hi!"

"Oh, hey!" Baleygr finally turns around, with a calm, customer-service smile he'd plastered on his face. "Didn't think you'd actually come here. Pay's nice and all, but man, it's always freezing out there."

"Yes, it's certainly a bit nippier than I'd prefer," Taranys says, and instantly feels a happiness bloom in his chest as Baleygr barks out a laugh, grin still spread across his face. He has such a nice laugh; loud and deep, but so genuine at the same time. Oh, and those _dimples_, too; god, he's so damn cute it almost feels like Taranys is in a dream.

"So, you come here often?" Baleygr hums as he pours a drink from behind the counter.

"E- every now and then, yes." The truth is, Taranys had never set foot in a bar before Baleygr was summoned.

As Baleygr slides the drink across the counter in one fluid motion to Pervert Guy –who's barely able to hold his head up as is, looks like he'll have to get cut off in a bit – he raises an eyebrow at his new friend. "Really? Guess you'll have to get used to seeing me around, then."

"Oh, I don't mind," Taranys shrugs.

It's a relatively calm evening out now. Snow falls gently from the grey skies, covering all the buildings in a blanket of fluffy snow. Somewhere nearby the bar, a group of college-aged girls scream in delight and shuffle across the roads; if Baleygr has to guess, they're probably off to one of those famous Mt. Ragon hot springs.

Taranys starts a thought. "Hey, Baleygr, I was – wait, first, can I call you Bay?"

"Yeah, I don't mind," Baleygr grins. "What's up?"

"Well, Bay, I was wondering something," Taranys continues. "What was your life like before you signed up to be summoned?"

Baleygr pauses as he dumps the drink he's mixing into a glass. "It was pretty nice. Kat and I grew up together around the outskirts of Tamor Desert. The place we were out, it was bigger than a town. Like a city, almost. I was the troublemaker, and Kat was more or less the voice of reason."

"That sounded like a lovely childhood," Taranys smiles softly.

"Yeah, it was," Baleygr sighs. "I'm just lucky I showed up in the same island as you and Kat."

The inclusion of Taranys here nearly made him start blushing right then and there.

"What about you?" Baleygr asks. "What was your childhood like?"

Taranys sighs internally, glad for the distraction, but the relief is soon replaced by regret for who he was. Flashes of burning rage zap through his mind, those times even the slightest thing set him off and he barely had any time to hide all that anger from Herne.

"…It could've been better, I guess," Taranys meekly finishes. "I spent a lot of time taking care of my little cousin, Herne. She was about a baby when I was 13. She's a good kid, you know?"

"Mm," Baleygr nods. A comforting silence passes over the two, Hwahee taking care of the few stragglers that hung around the bar.

"You want anything to drink?" Baleygr asks. "I gotta memorize the rest of the menu, anyway. It's pretty dead tonight."

Taranys is caught off-guard, and stumbles over his words before picking the least offending thing he can think of. "…Uh- a glass of white wine? I don't mind what brand."

"Sure," Baleygr says, pouring the drink with a soft smile on his face.

The night passes fairly quickly. The bar stays mostly empty throughout the night, a couple of people coming and going. Hwahee takes care of the other patrons throughout the night, whistling to herself every now and then. Too shy to just have one drink, Taranys ends up having another glass of wine once prompted. And another. And another.

…And another.

Well, it's a good thing that he's decided to put all those drinks on his tab, because Baleygr's pretty sure that, as is, Taranys wouldn't even be conscious enough to pay for the last few. By the time Baleygr's shift ends, Taranys has several empty glasses scattered around him, arms crossed on the counter and forehead resting on them. As Baleygr clocks out and shakes his hair out of his ponytail, he looks over at the half-asleep Druid.

"You're really a lightweight, huh?" Baleygr asks. It's mostly out of sheer curiosity, but it's also to see how responsive Taranys is as well.

"Mmh…" Taranys mumbles. He drifts in and out of sleep every few minutes, and soon falls asleep again.

It's pretty obvious to Baleygr now that even if he weren't falling asleep at any chance given, Taranys was in no state to walk home on his own. Baleygr's been in a position like that before, and even with the danger of being robbed or kidnapped aside, he knows damn well it's no fun at all to try and walk home when you can barely stand as-is. He really needed better friends back then.

"Hey, I'm gonna try and take this one home, alright?" Baleygr calls out to Hwahee, pointing towards Taranys for emphasis.

"Good luck on that, I guess!" Hwahee shouts back from the other side of the bar. Baleygr's not exactly too sure about this, but he can swear he hears her tack on "you're gonna need it" under her breath.

Baleygr makes his way over to Taranys, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he does. "Hey, Taranys, how're you feeling?"

Taranys groans softly in response.

"Taranys, I'm gonna take you home. You've had too much to drink," Baleygr says gently. "Where do you live, again?"

He has a vague recollection of Taranys saying that he lives in the Arena Defense tower like most monsters on the island, but what floor it was Baleygr doesn't remember.

Taranys stays silent, and for a brief moment Baleygr thinks he's going to have to knock on a lot of monsters' doors at absurd o'clock in the morning, asking if they have Taranys their roommate. Thankfully, he doesn't have to resort to that, because the Druid finally stutters out a room number, and Baleygr realizes that he only lives a couple doors away from Taranys. Then again, Katarina has been on the island longer than he has.

"Alright, alright, this is fine, I can get you home, this is _completely_ fine," Baleygr mutters, though more to himself than anyone else. He repeats Taranys's room number a few times as he hoists him up by the arm, bracing himself as Taranys leans on him for support.

"Buddy, I hope you know that I'm only doing this 'cos I think you're cute," Baleygr says to Taranys, though not unkindly, as evidenced by the friendly grin across his face.

"Really now…" Taranys groans.

Yeah, there's definitely no way Taranys is going to remember any of this in the morning.

* * *

"Keys – keys, Taranys, give me your keys," Baleygr urges. It's about 4:30 in the morning right now, and Baleygr can see his breath form in clouds in front of his lips as he rubs one muscled arm of his. Why's it always gotta be so _cold_ in the middle of the night? It's supposed to be autumn, not winter.

The two struggle to grab Taranys's keys from his pocket (it's a _lot_ harder than you'd think), but eventually he does manage to get them and unlock the front door for Taranys. Baleygr had _hoped_ that Taranys had a roommate to open the door for them, but alas, it seems Taranys just lives by himself.

As Baleygr unlocks the front door, he can't help but be surprised that they even _made_ it back home. Apparently, Taranys is one of those sleepy, clumsy drunks. He doesn't seem like that kind of drunk to Baleygr. More like one of the drunks who tear up at the slightest thing and tells everyone he meets "I love you; you're so great, I love you."

It won't hurt to see if he does have any roommates, just in case. Baleygr pokes his head through the doorway, softly calling out into the darkness, "Hey, anyone here?"

He's greeted with silence, and assumes it's safe to step inside, practically dragging Taranys along by the waist. The Druid's fallen asleep again, and is probably going to _stay_ asleep through the night. Baleygr fumbles around, and flicks the light on. Taranys's place is pretty small for Baleygr's taste; there's the living quarters and the kitchen, a bedroom all the way over there, and that's all Baleygr can see at first glance.

"Alright, c'mon, Taranys, let's get you to bed." Right now, Taranys is in more casual clothes (well, casual compared to his regular Druid attire in Guild Wars and the like). Baleygr's got no idea what Taranys wears to bed, and is _not_ about to go digging through drawers and whatnot.

"S- stay with me…" Taranys clutches Baleygr's arm tight, and looks up at him. Well, he tries, anyway, but he's barely able to stay up on his feet as is. "Please? Just for the – the night or some'in'?"

Baleygr opens his mouth to say no and that he's really got to get going, but he really can't find it in him to do so. Taranys looks so vulnerable and real, and it sends twangs of some emotion Baleygr couldn't pinpoint through his heart. Who would he be to say no?

Eventually he sighs and responds, "Alright, alright, just for the night. But I'm taking the couch and bringing you to bed."

"Thank you…" Taranys has a small smile on his face, and it makes Baleygr end up reciprocating the motion.

… Okay, it _did_, until Taranys suddenly jerks and slaps a hand over his mouth, and Baleygr scrambles to find a trashcan for Taranys to puke into.


	4. Revealed a Totally Deep, Dark Secret

_As I write this, I am sick as a dog right now, so I apologize if my author note sounds a bit loopy. I may edit my chapters a bit after I'm done writing, but I never touch the author's note, 'cos it's me directly talking to like… the 10 people who read SW fanfictions lol_

_So, the timing on this chapter was actually super great. For a while this was going to be a lowkey "my sweet boy Taranys is sick and Baleygr takes care of him" chapter, but then I tweaked the outline a bit and it ended up being something that furthers the plot. Yes, I know, I know, AwesomeTrinket the pantser actually making an outline for her stuff. Shocking. I'm sorta loopy because I had some DayQuil and I've been giggling over things that should not be funny sooooo_

_TL;DR: it's 1/1/2020 as I write this, I'm coughing to the point of almost puking, am unable to breathe out of my nose, have just taken some DayQuil and probably should be in bed but here I am, writing romance fics_

* * *

**Moment 4  
Revealed a Totally Deep, Dark Secret**

Taranys wakes up, rolls over and off the bed, and sticks his face in the nearby trash can while trying not to puke.

What the _hell_ happened last night? Taranys can barely even think; much less try to remember why he's on the verge of throwing up and he feels like he's got razor blades slicing around in his skull. As he finally looks up from the comforting darkness of the trash can, Taranys groans and throws a hand up to shield his eyes from the morning light.

_Okay, okay, retrace your steps of last night._ Let's see, what happened yesterday? Hwa called out sick and Taranys had to fill in her shift. That he manages to remember, what next? Taranys gets off his shift late that night, remembers that Baleygr's working at that bar at Mt. White Ragon, and… that's right around where his memories end; staring at Baleygr's beautiful face.

It's pretty safe for Taranys to assume that he must've gotten drunk at some point.

He gets back up off the floor, tempted to climb back into bed and sleep the whole day away. Something on his nightstand catches his eye, and Taranys turns to see a couple of Advil in a medicine cup and a bottle of water next to it. There's a note next to the cup, but Taranys doesn't read it at first and instead throws the Advil back, chugging down the water from the bottle, and just hopes it would kick in sooner.

As he lies back down and places a hand over his face, a voice drifts out from somewhere in his apartment. Taranys opens one eye, listening in, and eventually it becomes clear to him that the voice is singing. The words are unidentifiable, but the voice is deep and smooth; purring softly to themselves. He sits up, smiling at the sound of it.

And then he remembers he lives alone.

* * *

Baleygr looks straight up from the frying pan and nearly bangs his forehead on an open cabinet door when he hears Taranys screaming. There's a couple of seconds of panic as he rushes into the bedroom, forgetting the eggs he'd been making for Taranys for when he got up. The panic quickly dissipates, though, as Baleygr looks over a now-hungover Taranys on the floor and realizes that he looked relatively unharmed; he's just a bit spooked is all.

"That's one way to let me know you're up," Baleygr flashes one of those drop-dead gorgeous grins at Taranys as he scrambles to pick himself off the floor for the second time in five minutes and keep what little of his dignity he may have left.

Taranys's face starts to burn around the cheeks. He racks his brain for _something_ to say, but all that can come out of his mouth is "…Uh."

Baleygr is at his place and he can't remember why. Oh, god, did they…?

"Oh, you're… probably trying to figure out what happened last night," Baleygr says. "You drank a little too much wine and I had to carry you back to your place."

Taranys's brain is clearly foggy and lagging behind as he responds, "…Oh. Sorry you had to."

"Don't be sorry," Baleygr says as he waves it off. "Seriously, it's better than trying to walk home at night while you're nearly blackout."

"So, you…" Taranys presses the heel of his palm against his forehead, trying to ease the throbbing even a little bit. "You- you came to check up on me?"

"Technically, yeah. You asked me to stay the night, so here I am."

_Mental note: get drunk more often. At least you'll have Baleygr over more._

"Thanks, Baleygr, really," Taranys means it from the bottom of his heart. "You didn't have to do that."

"Hey, we're friends, we look out for each other," Baleygr says. "Oh, and, you can call me Bay."

That he remembers. "Alright then, Bay."

"I mean it, you know," Baleygr adds in, "I'd bring you back any other time, no questions asked."

The moment is sweet and warm, and Taranys feels like he can bask in Baleygr's kindness forever. Unfortunately, the two of them snap out of it as the fire alarm screeches in the kitchen.

Baleygr gasps, "_Damn it!_ The eggs!"

"The what?" Taranys gets up and rushes after Baleygr into the kitchen. As he steps foot in the kitchen, he immediately starts coughing and has to turn around. Smoke is starting to billow out from the previously forgotten pan while Baleygr curses to himself.

* * *

The day drags onwards, the heat of the morning only growing stronger. It's a Sunday now, and the guilds across the continent of Mystica have momentarily ceased fire. The Summoner's taken a moment to start rebuilding their monsters' teams and changing the runes on some of them. The twins, Talia and Sabrina, got benched from their previous spot on the Surveillance Tower. Apparently, the previous gossiping incident was one too many.

Of course, with those two out of the question, the Summoner needed a couple other monsters to fill in their spot in the meantime. And of course, it's just Taranys's luck he was put in that spot with the incredibly cute Baleygr and a killer hangover that is _way_ more painful than it should be. But hey, it's a good way to kill time and let his apartment air out. Even if it didn't turn out as well as Baleygr wanted, Taranys is still touched from the effort.

"Hey, how d'ya feel?" Baleygr leans against the pole of the tower, opening one eye to have a good look at Taranys.

Taranys's response is a groan of pained suffering as the light burns his eyes and only contributes to the worsening hangover-induced headache. That Advil did nothing for the dull throb in the back of his head, apparently.

"Have you ever even _had_ a hangover before?"

The lack of an immediate response leads Baleygr to believe that no, Taranys has not.

"Here," Baleygr hands Taranys a bottle of water. "you need to replenish the fluids you lost. I've had my wilder days in the past; I know how to take care of this kind of thing."

Seeing Baleygr so caring and gentle makes Taranys's heart flutter and he can't help but accept the bottle and start drinking.

"You'll be okay in a bit," Baleygr smiles. "As long as you keep drinking water, it'll go away."

Taranys tips the bottle back down and sighs "I'm never getting drunk again."

Baleygr's mouth curls into a smile as he can't help the laugh that works its way out of his throat. It's brighter than anything else Taranys has seen. "God, you remind me of that time when I was 13, with Katarina. Did you ever hear of that one?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Alright, story-time, then!" Baleygr claps his hands once, settling in and starting his story. "There was this one time, when Katarina was home alone, she invited me and a couple other friends over to whatever the thirteen year old variant of a party is, yeah?"

"Yeah?"

"Eventually, we found this antique-looking bottle, and Katarina asks me 'Is it whiskey, or perfume?'" Baleygr can barely hold back all the laughter now. "And I snatch the bottle away and drink everything in it. Do you _know_ what I said? 'I think it's whiskey.'"

Taranys can't help it; now he's laughing hard at this story, clutching his stomach with one hand and almost to the point of tears. He manages to compose himself enough to say "Oh, I'm sorry for laughing, Bay –"

"It's fine, it's fine," Baleygr reassures. "We all started laughing at the situation's absurdity a week later. And hey, none of us touched alcohol for about a decade after that. We were all too traumatized."

"Were you all right?"

"I threw up a couple of times, and my head felt like it'd split open the day after, but other than that, none the worse for wear," Baleygr smiles faintly at the memories of that day and continues, "And besides, I wouldn't have changed that day for the world. I actually met Tesarion that day."

"Oh?" The sound of the unfamiliar name dancing across Baleygr's lips makes Taranys perk up in curiosity. The previous pain of his hangover is long forgotten now, and he's instead absorbed in learning whatever he can about this young man's past.

"I never told you about Tesarion?" Baleygr asks, shocked.

Taranys shakes his head. "You didn't, no."

Perhaps Taranys has an ulterior motive that not even he knows, or maybe he's just being friendly. But regardless, Taranys's intrigue in this mystery Tesarion spurs Baleygr on to revealing more about himself. "Tesarion was actually my first love. He was pretty much my first everything, now that I think about it. First kiss, first date I ever went on, the whole shebang."

The range of emotions Taranys feels from how casually Baleygr talks about Tesarion ranges from excitement to disappointment. _Baleygr likes guys, too! He's clearly interested in men! Oh, but he talks of Tesarion so fondly; perhaps he's still with him._

Taranys snaps himself back into reality, realizing Baleygr's still going on about Tesarion.

"Eventually, we moved on because of the long-distance problems. Tesarion got signed up to be on the Sky Islands, and we ended up breaking up on good terms," Baleygr shrugs. "I've gotten over it, but it still hurt leaving my first relationship, even though we broke up as friends."

"Oh," Taranys says. "What was he like?"

"He reminds me of you, actually. And I mean that in the best way possible. He was always the rational one in our relationship." Baleygr grins as he thinks about Tesarion. "I liked him a lot. I really did. He was a good man, you know. Kinda wonder what he's been up to lately."

"Yes, he does sound nice," Taranys smiles softly.

"So yeah; that's my deep, dark, secret. I like guys. Sue me." Baleygr looks so damn calm and confident, coming out of the closet so casually like that.

Without even thinking, Taranys blurts out "Oh, so do I!"

Taranys stops once he realized what he said. He's never _directly_ told anyone he was gay (not even that one awkward time with Amelia), but here he was. Maybe Baleygr's confidence is what spurred him on right then and there.

"Ah, that's great!" Baleygr grins. "You single?"

"I am," Taranys nods. "What about you?"

"I dated around a bit after Tesarion, but as of right now, I'm in the same boat."

_Oh, he's single! That's wonderful!_

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone eventually." Taranys smiles warmly at him, as if hoping that Baleygr would ask if he could be that someone.

"Yeah, I guess so," He leans back against the pole again and closes his eyes, a smile playing across his lips.


	5. Abruptly Escalated Our Relationship

_I've actually written the first five chapters of this before even posting Ch1 of Golden Hair, so by the time you're reading this, I've probably been able to write at least up to Ch6, meaning there won't be any absurd delay, at least in here. I'd say this is the chapter where things finally start getting good, too!_

_If I haven't mentioned it yet, if you've taken time out of your day to read, comment, or like/kudo this fanfiction, I REALLY do appreciate it. The Summoner's War fanfiction community is tiny, and I actually don't expect anyone who's in the fandom to ever look at this. (I'm not kidding when I say it's small – as of this writing, there are 9 fanfiction in the SW category on AO3, and 6 are mine.) _

_I'm serious; I still remember someone named Classic_No on AO3 commented five really in-depth comments on The Defense Destroyers, talking about everything they liked about the fic, and I actually read them whenever I have a bad day! If you're reading this, Classic_No, hi and thank you so much for being so sweet back there!_

_Because I've been asked this a lot, NO, I am not VeladrielShipper, despite writing about the same ship. __**We do not speak of her in this good Christian Minecraft server.**_

* * *

**Moment 5  
Abruptly Escalated Our Relationship**

"_Are you free tomorrow?" Taranys trips over his words, and then immediately starts to backpedal, "I-I mean, like, you – you don't have to say yes if you don't want to, but –" _

"_Taranys, calm down," Baleygr smiles an endeared smile, "It's fine, really. But to answer your question, yeah, I get off work at around seven in the morning tomorrow and the Summoner doesn't have anything planned then."_

"_Oh, that's wonderful!" Taranys sighs in relief, before remembering why he even asked Baleygr's availability in the first place, "I was thinking that maybe we could… well, you know, perhaps we could go out for lunch or coffee tomorrow. You and me."_

_Before Baleygr can even open his mouth, Taranys starts up again, "Well, I mean, we don't have to go out on a date or something like that, we could just be friends, if you'd like."_

_Baleygr says the magical words that Taranys imagined him saying for a month now. "I'd love to go on a date with you."_

_Suddenly, it feels like a whole world of opportunities opens up for Taranys, like a warm happiness spreading throughout his body. In that moment, the sun filtered through the window of the bar, hitting Baleygr's hair and giving it a golden shine. His hair is tied up into a thick, loose ponytail, and it looks like spun gold in the afternoon sunlight._

"_Coffee in the afternoon sounds great," Baleygr goes on, "2:30 works for me. What do you think?" _

"_It's a date, then!" Taranys smiles wide at the blond man. "2:30 tomorrow, for coffee."_

_God, Taranys thought he'd never get to the point where he could even muster up enough courage to ask Baleygr ask, much less hear him say yes. Then it hits him that he's got a day to prepare. Taranys wishes, more than anything right now, that he had some friend to help him prepare, like how Baleygr probably has Katarina on his side._

That's how Taranys finds himself near the end of his shift, panicking out loud to Hwa as he wipes down the counter of the café.

"Taranys! Chill for a second," Hwa tries to say over his internal turmoil, "It'll be fine. You're already friends with them, yeah?"

"I mean, I am, but…" Taranys responds, though the rock in his stomach doesn't stop quivering and his hands can't stop trembling. "Look, Hwa, I don't know; it's been _years_ since the last time I went on a date!"

Hwa continues her reassurance, "I know, I know, but you say they're pretty calm and always insist you're doing great, right?"

"I did, yes."

"And they said they'd love to go out on a date with you, right?"

"Yes?"

"Then you've got nothing to worry about!" Hwa laughs and flaps her hand, "Seriously. I've been on dates before, and half the guys I've been with weren't nearly as enthusiastic as your date seems."

Taranys sighs softly, exhaling through his teeth and closing his eyes. "…Thanks, Hwa. I'm sorry I had to dump all this on you, but I didn't really have anyone else to talk with."

"Well hey; if you ever have any other dating problems, you can come to me," Hwa shrugs, "I've had enough bad dates to know what not to do. Just take a breath, dress nice, and keep it casual. It's a first date, after all. And between you and me, if you're going out for coffee I'd recommend this place called Miho's Hideout. It's in this Garen Forest town, called Guinying. You and your date would love it there."

* * *

"Taranys, hey!" Baleygr jogs up to Taranys, waving at him. He seems to have ditched his usual armor in battle or the bartender uniform; instead donning a crimson flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. Baleygr's played with his hair again, now wearing it tied up into a flaxen braid that flows down his back. His amber eyes are beautiful, glittering like jewels in the light.

"Oh- oh, hi!" Taranys smiles back, literally biting his tongue to hold back a remark about how pretty Baleygr looks in flannel.

Baleygr catches up with Taranys finally, the latter leaning back on the side of a tree in the middle of Garen Forest, as if in some desperate attempt to look cool and casual. Is it wrong to still be so nervous now, even after an outsider like Hwa realized that their date would probably go wonderful? Ah well, Taranys doesn't really know, and his nerves are still going wild.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting; Kat wouldn't let me leave unless she deemed I looked perfect," Baleygr chuckles and touches the back of his neck.

"Oh, you didn't keep me at all," Even if he had, Taranys would have never said otherwise.

"Great! So, coffee date, right?" Baleygr grins and takes one of Taranys's hands in his own, causing his heart to skip a beat in his chest.

It takes a second for Taranys to remember how to talk. "Oh, yeah! I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie afterward, too? There's this one human movie I've been looking forward to for a bit."

"Well, then what're we waiting for? Come on, let's go!" Baleygr's smile seems to shine brighter than any star in a night sky, his gentle beauty something that haunts Taranys's dreams almost every night. He can't help but feel inferior appearance-wise; even if he's been told multiple times that his white hair and Druid markings looked insanely good on him. (Granted, all these compliments came from Amelia in the past, but it's best not to focus on that.)

The two of them start off on the well-travelled path to Guinying, Baleygr in high spirits and Taranys just doing everything he can to not kiss that pretty smile of Baleygr's, right then and there.

"So where're we off to, hmm?" Baleygr asks.

"My coworker, Hwa, recommended this café called Miho's Hideout to me," Taranys responds, "so I was thinking we could check it out."

"Oh, I think I've been there before!" Baleygr chirps, idly twirling a loose strand of hair around his finger. "The atmosphere was really good."

The town of Guinying is small and cozy; the sunlight is filtered through the leaves of the forest and making such pretty patterns on the grass and tiny buildings. It's a cloudless day out. Taranys inhales softly, enjoying the natural scents of flowers tangled throughout the air. He glances over at Baleygr, and he smiles at the sight of him looking so in awe at the sights.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Baleygr sighs.

Taranys resists the urge to say _of course you are, you're you_ and responds, "Yeah…"

"Do you see this kind of thing often, as a Druid and all?" Baleygr turns to Taranys, head tilted just a tad.

He thinks for a second. "I've seen many places, but nothing quite like this. Perhaps nature, humans and monsters really can coexist together."

As the two of them enter Miho's Hideout, Baleygr chuckles, "Your optimism's a pretty nice breath of fresh air. You know how humans get about this kind of thing; saying that they've basically killed their world and they're going to go extinct any day now."

"Well, I guess it's not my place to comment on that."

The café's pretty small, but it has a homely feel to it. The entire front of the store is a window, giving patrons a beautiful view of Guinying to go with their drinks. It seems like one of those places that writers would take their laptop with them and go to the place to write. There's no one else in the café; it's just Taranys and Baleygr now.

"Oh, can we sit here?" Baleygr pulls out a chair at a table near the window. "It's such a nice day today."

"Sure, I don't see why not." Taranys decides to sit at the chair on the other side of the table so he can see Baleygr's pretty face. He looks so lovely in the sunlight. Oh, that flannel looks _so_ good on him; Taranys is honestly surprised he doesn't wear it more often. His braid's been flipped over one shoulder now, and Taranys can't help but wonder how he can look so good all the time.

"Is there any really good secret drink, Taranys?" Baleygr asks. "I mean, you work at that coffee shop, right?"

Taranys blushes, realizing that Baleygr remembered where he worked after Taranys had offhandedly mentioned it at some point.

"Oh, uhh, there's nothing really that I would suggest," Taranys says. "We… actually don't get that many people asking for off-menu drinks."

The Lightning Emperor seems surprised at this, "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry if you were expecting anything else," Taranys shrugs.

"Oh, don't worry about a thing." Baleygr says, "Anyway, I'm thinking about getting a cinnamon bun to split between us. Personally, I can't eat a whole one myself. What do you think?"

"That works for me. I guess I'll just order a regular coffee; two creams and a sugar."

"Alright!" Baleygr shoots one of those gorgeous smiles at Taranys, and he can already feel his face heating up at the sight of it. "I'll go order up front, so you just sit here."

With that, Baleygr turns on his heel and heads off, and Taranys hangs behind, watching him go. He feels so happy, just to be here with such a beautiful young man. And to think, just a week ago, Taranys would've endlessly dreamed about going out with Baleygr, but never would've actually believed he would be here right now, with him.

Baleygr returns sooner than Taranys expected, a tiny smile playing on his face. "It'll be out here in a bit."

Taranys thinks for a bit, to try and give them something to work off of. After all, a date usually means talking and getting to know the person you've gone out with, right? Eventually, he settles for a question that, personally, he thinks is rather lame, but can't think of anything better.

"Did you ever go to a place like this, back in Tamor Desert?" Almost instantly, he starts mentally berating himself; _of course Baleygr would've been to a café before._

"Well, I mean, after training sessions, Kat and I would drop by this one place a couple times. To be honest, though, I was never really the type to go off there on my own." Baleygr says.

The mention of one of these training sessions wasn't something Taranys is unfamiliar with; every monster that's eligible to be summoned in the Sky Islands is required to have a certain amount of training hours under their belt, to hone their specialty. Taranys himself has been through a couple hundred hours of training, to unlock the healing power of Mother Nature inside of him.

And, if he's being completely honest, he can say that Baleygr's training has really paid off, in his opinion. It's so much fun to sit back and watch him use his knowledge to bring on the start of an apocalypse on his enemies; to see them practically melt away from the raw power Baleygr summons.

The two of them stay there for hours, chatting away about nothing and everything at the same time.

"By the way, back at the bar, you mentioned this girl, Herne," Baleygr starts, tracing his finger around the rim of his empty coffee cup, "Your… niece, was it? No, your cousin, yeah, she was your cousin. What was she like?"

All those happy memories Taranys has of her surfaces up in his mind.

"If you ask me, I'd say she's a pretty sweet kid," He says, "She was kind of shy, though. She loved flowers, plants, and all that. I'm not sure if the fact I was taking care had anything to do with it, but I suppose it helps she's part of the Dryad family."

"Do you still take care of her?"

Taranys falters from bringing his cup up to his lips, "…No, not anymore."

Baleygr's voice suddenly drops, and his next words are quiet; worried, even. "…Did something happen to her?"

"Oh, no, nothing bad, I swear!" Taranys realizes how worrying his words could be if interpreted the wrong way, "I still visit her every week or so. It's just… about a decade ago, when I turned seventeen, I asked one of my relatives, Abellio, to take her in for me."

He starts to say more, but then stops. Did he _really_ want to tell Baleygr why he did such a thing, and perhaps ruin something good that may be developing between them? Would he even want to know?

Baleygr sighs, as in relief, before asking, "How come?"

_There it is._

Well, Taranys supposes there's no use in lying. If they did end up working out together, Baleygr's bound to get the truth sooner or later.

"…When I was younger, I used to have terrible anger issues," He says, voice low, as if afraid someone would overhear. "The slightest thing would tip me off, and I'd get into awful fights. The results would be bruises and broken bones, and they wouldn't be injuries I _received_."

"Eventually, it got so bad that… I was afraid I'd turn my anger on Herne." Taranys gulps, bringing a hand to his mouth. He _knows_, he _knows_ that he's okay now, but it's still so difficult to tell anyone about this kind of thing. Lord knows that people have reacted negatively to it before. "When I realized just how bad it was, I asked Abellio to take her in for me, and I used that time to get help for it. And it did work, it really did; I've gotten so much better at managing my anger and keeping myself from ever getting to that brink of blackout rage again, but… sometimes, I fear that one day I'll slip, and all my work would've been for nothing."

"I understand if… you don't want to take a risk, by being with me," Taranys's hands tremble now as he holds his cardboard coffee cup, now empty. He can't even stop the words from flowing from his mouth, even if he wants to, knowing damn well he's _definitely _giving Baleygr the okay to run.

Baleygr speaks up finally, "…I mean, you said yourself that you've gotten help for it, and that it worked."

"I know, but I'm scared, Bay," Taranys admits. "I'm scared to hurt you, Herne; everyone that I care about, I'm worried about hurting."

"Well, to me, it sounds like you've admitted yourself that you knew you had a problem, and you went to get help." Baleygr leans over slightly, touching the back of Taranys's hand with his fingertips. "And hey, from what I've seen, you're doing great."

Taranys looks Baleygr in the eye, as if seeking _any_ hint of a lie in him. All he got was warm, caring compassion. No hostility. Just compassion.

"I like you, Taranys," Baleygr continues on. "I _want_ to be around you, during the good times or bad. I trust you."

"…Thank you, Baleygr. Really." A real smile passes across Taranys's face, and he feels so _happy_.

"Hey, it's the truth," He says, taking his hand off the back of Taranys's and placing it ever so gently on the Druid's cheek, smiling softly. The touch is unexpected, but Taranys finds it so… nice, leaning into the touch. He opens his eyes, not even realizing he's closed them, and it's only then that he sees the afternoon is gone, and now it's early evening.

"Oh!" Taranys shoots upright, "Oh, oh, we've missed that movie…!"

"Huh?" Baleygr looks away and at the clock, and he gasps at how long they've stayed there, enjoying the company of each other.

Taranys's heart sinks, but rises again when he remembers, "I have a couple of my favorite movies at my place. Maybe we could… drop by there and watch one?"

"Y'know, that sounds like a great way to end the day." Baleygr shoves a tip underneath the saucer of his coffee cup, hurling the empty cardboard into the nearby trashcan.

* * *

"That was great," Baleygr laughs, "We should totally have another date sometime."

Taranys sits upright, almost in shock, "Really?"

"Yeah!" Baleygr glances at Taranys's lips, parted slightly. "I'm free a couple days from now, after Guild Wars."

The night's dragged on now, and the movie has since ended. Baleygr's in Taranys apartment now (and Taranys is sober enough to remember), draped across the soft couch and leaning against his shoulder. He blushes at how excited Baleygr seems to be at the prospect of a second date.

"Well, since you're okay with it, I'd love to go on another date with you," Taranys admits. "This time, how about you pick where we go?"

"Sounds good to me," He rests against Taranys, tilting his head up at him. Baleygr's eyes glitter in the low light of the television screen, and Taranys can't help but think for the millionth time that he was so beautiful.

The mood is good, and Taranys thinks that the time is right. The next moment passes, and suddenly Taranys finds himself leaning down, pressing his lips against Baleygr's. His lips are soft – so very soft – and his mouth tastes like a hint of that cinnamon bun they shared, sweet with icing and just the taste of Baleygr in general. Flutters of warmth fill Taranys's chest, all of that happiness coming full-force in that kiss.

There's a hum in Taranys's mouth, and his entire body tenses up and he pulls away from Baleygr, realizing just how grave and irreversible what he just did is.

"Oh, god, I shouldn't have done that, I'm so sorry –" Taranys stutters in between gasps, "I should've asked, I really should have –"

Baleygr shouts, "Taranys!"

He grabs the edges of Taranys's Druid cloak and pushes up against him, now the one to initiate a kiss. It feels so nice, and Taranys melts into the kiss, arms wrapped around the man's waist. If it were up to him, he wouldn't let it stop, but eventually the two of them break away, gasping for air. Suddenly Baleygr looks so gorgeous, even more so than just seconds before.

"…Does that mean you –" Taranys starts, "– you feel the same way?"

Baleygr's response is a solid, definite "_Yes_."

Taranys's senses practically vanish in the coming minutes, but he's vaguely aware the two of them have rolled to the hardwood floor, lips connected and eyes closed.


	6. Kissed a Guy for the First Time

_HOW'DYALL LIKE THAT HUH THEY FINALLY DID IT THEY FINALLY DID THE KISS- If I haven't mentioned it yet, I've been having a ton of fun writing this story, even if not many people are reading. _

_By the way, I finally bit the bullet and got into Epic Seven, so… there's that? Don't worry, I'm not gonna abandon SW anytime soon. I'll just be playing these games side-by-side. (As of right now, I'm farming DB10 in SW and the Eulogy for a Saint sidequest in E7 for the Unfading Memories artifact.)_

_Anyway, if you like my writings, don't be afraid to tell me in the comments down below, and if you think I can do something better, feel free to let me know too! I appreciate any little bit of advice or praise you may have!_

* * *

**Moment 6  
Kissed a Guy for the First Time (in a While)**

Baleygr finishes, "And then I kissed him."

Katarina's glad that she wasn't sipping her drink, or she would've choked on it by now. A solid day of trying to figure out what was going on with Baleygr has finally paid off; months of Baleygr lamenting about his lack of relationships and then a date with this really cute guy comes to a head.

"Yes! You finally did it! You finally kissed him! Hallelujah!" Katarina laughs, pumping her fists into the air, spinning around on her chair.

"Kat, _dios mio_, it's not that big of a deal," Baleygr groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. He pauses for a moment, before realizing, "…Actually, on second thought, he is a really good kisser. And he's cute. And nice."

Katarina just gives him _the look._

"…Don't even say it."

"Hey, I didn't say anything!"

Baleygr groans and rolls his eyes. The scene is… pathetic, to say the least. Baleygr's lying on his bed, back pressed up against the mattress and hair spread out from under him. Katarina, meanwhile, is sitting at a chair at the side of his bed, idly spinning around in circles and sipping a from a juice box – a monster-brand juice box, of course; Katarina's no traitor to her kind.

His bedroom is an absolute mess; there's a couple shirts and a pair of jeans scattered here and there, but the mess mostly comes from the drawings and hair care items everywhere. In the few months he's lived there, Baleygr has managed to singlehandedly take up every inch of all four walls with his art, and now it's even spreading outside his room.

"But anyway, when's the next date gonna be?" Katarina asks, "With you and Taranys, I mean."

Baleygr falters at this, suddenly looking _very_ interested in that one weird stain in the corner of the ceiling. It's a nice stain, really. It looks like someone defied physics and spilled coffee on it.

"…You don't have another date ready, do you." She says it as a statement rather than a question, but Baleygr gets the meaning behind it.

"Look, things are kinda weird between us," Baleygr groans as he sits up finally, letting his wavy hair run down his left shoulder.

Katarina narrows her eyes, "What do you mean _weird?_"

"Well, after that time I kissed him, everything just got all awkward. Like, I don't know, it felt so easy to chat with him before, and now that I've had his tongue in my mouth, I…" Baleygr pauses, "I feel like we're both avoiding each other, because we've got no idea how to continue our relationship."

"To be honest, I've been keeping myself busy in the Rift of Worlds, and I haven't been able to look Taranys in the eye since," He says.

"Why's this gotta be so different from the first date, eh?" Katarina asks, genuinely. "I mean, you said yourself that things were great before the first kiss. So why did lip-on-lip contact change everything?"

"That's what I've been asking, Kat!" Baleygr throws his hands up in the air, in exasperation. "Sure, we've already talked about the second date, but there's nothing decided _yet_. And besides, the second and third date is when things get a little more serious, ain't it?"

He runs his hands down his face, scrubbing it with the heel of his palms like he'd been crying. Not that he _had_, though; he's just so mentally exhausted.

"God, why do relationships have to be so difficult?" Baleygr laments, "I mean, I pretty much instantly _knew_ with Tesarion. Why does Taranys have to be so difficult?"

"Love ain't easy, Baleygr," Katarina leans back, sipping on her juice box. Her helmet was haphazardly tossed off, leaving her mess of strawberry blonde hair to stick up in wild places like a newborn chick. "We're not 13 anymore. You can't just pass someone a note asking them to be your boyfriend and that's that."

"Well, then what do you _suppose_ I do?"

"From what I recall, it takes about two or three months of casual dating before one part starts asking 'what are we?' But, you two have been friends for a couple months now, so I guess we can call that the trial period of dating."

"Kat!"

"You know it's true!" Katarina says, "I've heard of stories where people that've been close friends for decades go on the first date, propose, and have been happily married since. Dating is all just about getting to know your partner, anyway."

Baleygr makes a noncommittal noise that neither of them knows the meaning to.

A thoughtful look passes Katarina's face. "Can you see yourself introducing Taranys to your mom, whether as a friend or partner?"

"Seriously?" Baleygr groans, "You're bringing _M'ma_ into this?"

"C'mon, answer the question."

He shakes his head, deciding he might as well answer, "Yes, at some point I can."

Katarina asks a couple more questions that Baleygr more or less answers with generic "yes" or "nope, sorry." If you asked him what those questions were he'd totally blank out on you. All he really knows is his answers and how Katarina's expression changes based on what he says.

Finally, her expression becomes unreadable, and she finishes up her juice box. "I can't say any one-size-fits-all advice here, dude. You're gonna have to talk to him yourself."

"Are you kidding me? You asked all that and your advice is 'talk to him?'"

"Hey, your situation is weird," Katarina shrugs, "I wish I was able to tell you what to do, but then it all just got… y'know."

Baleygr seems to practically deflate, lying back down on his bed. "…This sucks."

"Okay, and? Just talk to him about how you feel!" Katarina is getting frustrated now, "See, you can't expect him to read your mind and realize you want to get in a relationship with him. I hate it when people think their partners should just automatically 'know' the problem."

It seems like that little nugget is enough to spur Baleygr on, and he smiles a bit. "…Thanks, Kat."

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

* * *

_Alright, that's it, 'nuff moping around. Get up. Actually go talk to that incredibly cute guy you like._

Baleygr stares at himself in the mirror and grips the sides of the sink, glaring at his reflection, as if willing himself to get fully dressed and go to Taranys's place. After Katarina left the room (and the apartment, actually), Baleygr stripped his sweatshirt off; his intentions were to get into some halfway nice clothes and take initiative, but here he is, staring at his shirtless body.

Scars and nicks line the skin around his chest. There's a particularly long one slashed across his pectoral muscles, trailing down to his abs. Damn, those scars are nasty. Baleygr got them all in sometime in battle, and he'd be lying if he said the mere sight of the raised flesh littering his body isn't enough to make himself want to puke.

He snaps out of his disgusting pity party as the door knocks, causing him to jolt and make a mad dash to find a shirt. "Uh- uhh, coming!"

The shirt isn't like Baleygr's regular, fancier shirts – it's more of an undershirt, really, but it's enough to cover up those scars. As he practically bounds his way over to the door and throws it open, he's surprised to see who it is.

"Oh, Taranys, hey," Baleygr lowers his eyebrows and leans against the doorframe, in an attempt to look as if that, yeah, he's totally cool and collected, and hadn't been thinking about him for days on end. "Just the guy I was gonna go look for."

"Hey!" Taranys has a warm smile on his face, waving gently at Baleygr. "I…uh, brought flowers."

Indeed, Taranys is clutching a bouquet of roses in both hands. Eleven specifically, Baleygr realized.

"I grew them myself a couple nights ago, actually. You know, Druid and all. I hope you like roses – I didn't know what kind of flower you liked, so…" He trails off, staring down at the soft petals.

Baleygr takes the flowers, inhaling to take in the scent. They're a muted pink, the color of salmon. All those flowers smell so nice; sweet and lovely. "Aw, Taranys, I love them. I always did like the idea of blue roses."

It feels like the awkwardness has all but melted away between them.

"I could try to grow some myself later, but they usually can't be found in nature at all!" Taranys blushes, fiddling around with the edge of his jacket.

His smile drops, though, and when Baleygr looks back up Taranys is chewing on the inside of his mouth.

"…Can we talk?" Taranys asks.

_There it is._

Well, there's no way around this now. Besides, Baleygr wants to get it over with by now. No more limbo. Either they date, stay friends, or break apart altogether.

"Yeah, sure, come on in. Let's talk in my bedroom."

Taranys nods and steps through as Baleygr sweeps himself to the side. These roses _are_ nice. Baleygr didn't want to be a basic boy, but yes, he loved roses. Always have, always will. Baleygr takes one of the Druid's hands and leads him through the apartment, pushing his bedroom door open with his foot.

"I would've cleaned up if I'd known that you were coming," Baleygr shrugs, setting the flowers down on a free spot somewhere on his desk. "So, you'll just have to deal with my mess. Sorry."

Taranys seems to be only half-listening, instead staring at one of the drawings on the wall. It's one of Baleygr's favorites that he made; a forest of pine trees split in two by a river twisting and bending around. He'd spent hours drawing the moving water alone, to give it a sense of motion. Baleygr had worn down one of his pencils from working on that piece.

"Did you make all these?" Taranys asks, reaching out to the drawing as if wanting to touch it, with just the tips of his fingers.

"Yeah. I like drawing, I guess."

He gushes, "Bay, you're great at this! I love the textures on the trees, here!"

The compliment is enough for Baleygr to start blushing again. "T-thanks…"

He suddenly seems to remember why Taranys is here in the first place, he sobers up real quick. "Taranys, is this about that date?"

Taranys seems to falter now, and it doesn't look like he can find it in him to look Baleygr in the eye. "…y-yeah, actually."

Oh, there's the pit in Baleygr's stomach now, forming and crusting over like a clam and it's pearl. Taranys opens his mouth, ready to start talking, but Baleygr starts up first.

"Wait, wait, wait, I want to talk."

He purses his lips tight, but nevertheless nods.

"Look, Taranys, I don't want to ruin any possible good thing we may have forming here by not being on the same page, but…" Here goes nothing. "I like you, Taranys. Like, a _lot_."

He's saying Taranys's name a lot more than he'd like to, but now he can't stop talking even if he wants to.

"I can't stop thinking about you at the most random times of the day. Like – like – like I'd be working on a drink for someone, then I'd remember that time you came over to the bar, and then I can't get you out of my head." Baleygr says, shaking his head, "And ever since we kissed, I've been feeling so happy and so _nervous_ at the same time. I admit, yes, I've been avoiding you, because, to be honest? I have _no idea _what to do to move forward."

Should he be rambling on? Probably not. Can he even stop himself? Also probably not.

"I – I just – look. Taranys. As of right now, I don't know about what you want for your relationship, but what _I_ know is that I'd like to date you. Like, really like to. And at the same time, I don't want to scare you off and ruin our perfectly good friendship, either. Because I _like _spending time with you, y'know?"

It's all just coming out with one big word vomit now; Baleygr isn't even trying to filter himself anymore. He takes a break now to catch his breath.

Baleygr looks up when he hears Taranys's voice.

"…You really feel the same way?"

Taranys's face is slightly red around the cheeks, and his eyes are trained on the Lightning Emperor like he couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing.

"Huh?" For once, Baleygr's the one left without an idea of what to say.

Taranys swallows, and he starts talking now.

"I'd love to be with you, Bay. But, this whole time, I was so _worried_. Worried that you didn't have the same… sexuality, you weren't even into me, you were just going on that date as friends and you were just being nice, or –"

Taranys abruptly shuts up now, staring down at his feet.

"…Oh, I've already said too much, haven't I?"

Baleygr wishes he knew what to say, but an awkward silence passes through the air; thick and practically choking him.

"…So, I guess we've had our 'what are we' conversation, huh?" Baleygr chuckles dryly, without humor.

"Yeah…"

Baleygr stares at the bouquet Taranys had made for him. The salmon color truly is beautiful, and brings a smile to his face.

Taranys breaks the silence again, "Does- uh, does this mean we're dating now?"

Baleygr always thought the next time he got into a relationship, he'd just _know_ – he and the other boy would kiss until they're breathless, and without saying a single word they'd start dating, get married eventually, you name it. But honestly, he wouldn't change this for the world.

"Well, we might as well seal it with a kiss." Baleygr smiles, only half-expecting Taranys to take the bait.

But then there they are, kissing until they're breathless. And Baleygr wouldn't have it any other way.


	7. Got Jealous Over My Boyfriend's Ex

_We are back, baby, and it's time for your daily dose of Baleyns fluff!I hope y'all have been liking it so far, because these next few chapters I edited a lot more than the other…6? 7? Everything from Ch7-Ch9 I obsessed over in an "am I doing this wrong" way._

_I'm still upset because of last week's stone rotation, where the nat5s were Rica, Taranys and Chow. I had, like, a thousand stones? I was aiming for either Rica or Taranys. I got one lightning. __**Arang.**_

…_Aaaaaanyway, if you like the fic so far, why not leave a like, bookmark it, comment about what you liked about it, all that stuff? Every little bit that you may do, I'll notice, especially because of how small the Summoner's War fanfiction community is. But hey, with Summoner's War: Chronicle slated to come out sometime in 2020, maybe we'll get some more people here!_

_(It is lonely being the only Summoner's War writer out there…)_

* * *

**Moment 7  
Got Jealous Over My Boyfriend's Ex**

Would it be wrong for Taranys to say he's never been so happy before than he has been ever since that kiss?

If it is wrong, though, then Taranys doesn't want to be right. Being with Baleygr romantically is such a wonderful treat. Holding him, kissing him, bringing him on dates… it's all just so _perfect_. Baleygr seems just as happy as Taranys is, too; it's not uncommon for Taranys to hear the Lightning Emperor say that he couldn't wait to get off work and see him again.

Sure, he's still a little nervous – it _is_ his first relationship, after all – but right now, everything seems like it's going to be okay. The thought of how fondly Baleygr talked of Tesarion still lingers in his mind, but only as a faint memory. Not like he stays up at night, wondering if he's treating Baleygr as well as Tesarion apparently did; nope, not at all.

When the Summoner announces there's going to be _another_ Ifrit summoning, it snaps both Taranys and Baleygr out of their comforting haze.

"They're doing another one?" Taranys raises an eyebrow, chuckling softly. His legs dangle over the edge of the Surveillance Tower, and he leans on Baleygr, only somewhat paying attention to the flower crown he'd been weaving together for him.

Baleygr looks up from his sketchbook and takes the pencil out of his mouth. "Whaddya mean another?"

"Oh, it's practically become a running joke amongst us all that the Summoner can never complete the Ifrit family," He leans back, untangling a stray vine from the crown. There are tiny daisies springing up in between the vines. "They've got everyone except the fire Ifrit. They've been working at getting one for… I'd say a solid half a year now."

Baleygr's silly little grin warms Taranys's heart like words cannot describe. "Bet they'll get another water one."

The snicker that works its way out of Taranys's nose makes him feel just a _tad_ guilty for laughing at the Summoner's misfortune. "I wouldn't be surprised at this point."

"Poor Summoner, though. They've been trying so hard." Baleygr flips around his sketchbook to show Taranys the scene he's been working on, "What do you think?"

Taranys looks it over before kissing Baleygr on the forehead, "The texture on the grass is perfect."

"You really think so?" He gives the drawing of the island in front in him a once-over.

"I know so."

All that praise forms into a warmth in the tips of Baleygr's ears. Deciding to take his mind off of it, he sets the sketchbook down and squints at the Summonhenge somewhere in the distance. He can see the Summoner standing there, preparing for a summon. If he were any closer, he'd be able to hear them mumbling "Come on, come on, come on…!" over and over again.

Lightning's spat from the Summonhenge, causing the both of them to have to shield their eyes. Taranys can't help but be reminded of how he first met Baleygr all that time ago, having to block his eyes from the lime-green lightning being spat out from the Fusion Hexagram.

_Summon Successful!_

The Ifrit's skin is red this time. The Summoner's finally done it. _Wow_. Taranys raises both eyebrows up in surprise. He's not sure what he expected out of this summon, but he knows that this isn't it. Baleygr's slouched posture suddenly straightens, and the slightest gasp comes from the back of the Lightning Emperor's throat.

"That- that's him."

"Huh?" Taranys turns to look at his boyfriend.

"That- that's Tesarion!"

With this newfound information, Taranys looks back at the Summonhenge, where the Ifrit (oh, he might as well start calling him Tesarion now) was being helped off the platform, the Summoner's hand in his. It's around now that he realizes just how _gorgeous_ Tesarion looks, and not even from the perspective of someone attracted to him, either.

Tesarion's a very well-sculpted man; his hair's a vibrant yellow and goes down to his back – Taranys hates to admit it, but it reminds him of Baleygr's locks. Two large horns curve up from the top of his head, encased in a hard shell the same color as a sunset. Muscles bulge out from his arms and chest; not _too_ much, mind you, but just about the right amount to be nicely toned. Oh, _god_, Tesarion's in a suit, too; a mostly black suit with a red coat layered on top of it.

Baleygr says to the left of Taranys, "Damn. I mean this in a completely platonic way, but he's aged really well since I last saw him."

Taranys is feeling _very_ self-conscious about his own looks all of a sudden.

"C'mon, let's go talk to him!" Baleygr stands up, placing his sketchbook off his lap and onto the cool rocks of the Surveillance Tower. "I can introduce him to you, too. It's been forever."

"Wh- huh?" Taranys is jolted out of his musing, and without even a warning Baleygr takes him by the hand, pretty much forcing him to scramble up to his feet and nearly drop the crown he's working on.

"Man, it's really been forever since I last saw him," Baleygr hums as he then proceeds to let go of Taranys's hand and drops down to the soft grass of the island. At this point, Taranys can't really help but follow his lead.

He's happy for Baleygr being reunited with an old friend; he really is, but… something about him getting so happy over an ex just puts him off. Sure, not every relationship has to end with tears and completely cutting people out of lives, that much he knows, but why does this feel so _weird_ to him?

Soon (much too soon), Taranys finds himself standing awkwardly next to Baleygr as he waves and calls out to the man.

"Tesarion, hey!" Baleygr cries out.

Tesarion briefly turns his head – much to the Summoner's complaint as they try to attach runes to the back of his neck – and a light blinks on in his eyes.

"Oh, Baleygr!" His voice is deep and rumbling; slightly deeper than Taranys's and has wildly different inflections. "I don't suppose I ever expected to see you again."

"I know, right? God, it's been so long."

The two fall into an easy conversation that Taranys doesn't know how to slot himself into, or whether or not he even _should_. Thankfully for him, Baleygr seems to remember Taranys's existence and changes the subject, putting an arm around the Druid's shoulders.

"Oh, yeah, Tesarion, I should introduce you," He says ever so casually, "This is my boyfriend, Taranys. Taranys, that's my first boyfriend ever, Tesarion."

Taranys bites his tongue and stops himself from making some unnecessary response.

"Pleasure to meet you," Tesarion holds out a hand, and it takes Taranys a couple seconds for him to realize what he wanted to do.

"Ah, you too," He smiles as naturally as he can and grasps it. Tesarion's grip is firm, but not uncomfortably tight. If he weren't feeling insecure before, he _sure_ is now.

_Just keep smiling; act like everything's okay. _

He's pretty sure that, if nothing else, Baleygr's noticed that _something's_ wrong by now, but he figures it's best to keep the peace, even if his insecurities are glaring at him.

"So, how long you two been together?" Tesarion breaks Taranys's internal breakdown about he will never be as good a boyfriend as the Ifrit in front of him was.

"Not- not for long, I guess," Taranys gulps. "We've been official – uh, more like actually dating, I mean – for – uhh, for a month, maybe two? I mean, we knew each other for a couple more months before that, though."

"Huh, cool." Tesarion shrugs.

Baleygr's next words seem to appease Taranys's worries a bit, "Yeah, he's been great to me this whole time."

_Aww, that's sweet._

"Reminds me a bit of you, y'know."

And there's his anxiety again, burning its weird holes in his chest, and he _still_ can't figure out why.

* * *

By the time Tesarion and Baleygr finally wrap things up for the moment and Tesarion decides to go scope out the place he'll be staying at, Taranys's _really_ not feeling so good. Maybe he's just being silly, or he's under the weather, but the one thing that's for sure is that he really has the urge to puke. Or scream. Honestly, either one works.

And frankly, he only feels this bad whenever he thinks of Tesarion, and how Baleygr used to press his lips against his, just the way he does with Taranys now.

He's not sure why it took so long, but Baleygr finally seems to notice Taranys's discomfort by the time they open the door back to his apartment. "…Hey, what's the matter?"

"N- nothing, it's just… Oh, it's nothing, Bay, really."

"Is it about Tesarion?"

Damn, he really knows him well.

No use lying now, Taranys assumes. "…Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't know, Bay, but whenever I think about how you used to be with Tesarion, I just… feel so odd. And now that he's at the island, I…"

He trails off. Oh, he just revealed himself to be a whiny and insecure loser, didn't he?

"Mm," Baleygr hums. "If it helps you any, I really do see him as just a friend now. Zero non-platonic feelings whatsoever."

It doesn't do a _lot_, but it's enough to ease his mind for an hour or two, he guesses.

"…Thanks, hun. I really do mean it."


	8. Had a Pretty Big Fight

_Hey  
Hey guess what  
__chicken butt- __we only have two more chapters of Golden Hair left to write after this. The chapters are gonna be getting a bit shorter, but I'll still try to keep the same quality I've had this whole time. And hey, at least you all don't have to worry about me abandoning this fic like I do with all my others hahaaaaa I have too damn much to write_

_So anywayyyyyy, I have become a hopeless E7 fan ever since taking the plunge. As such, the next fic you can expect from me will be "The Misadventures of Ken and Krew," an Epic 7 fic for the ages. There will be a lot of blows softened, Ken being 200% done with everyone's antics, and Montmorancy being precious._

* * *

**Moment 8  
Had a Pretty Big Fight**

Taranys wishes he can say that everything was fine and dandy after Baleygr's initial reassurances, but he knows how much of a lie that is.

As if to make it every worse, it feels like every day Baleygr's making more and more time for Tesarion. First they're just off to get some coffee and catch up for half an hour, then it's an hour the next day, hour and a half the next; it all keeps piling onto him. He doesn't want to sound like he's needy or controlling – he _really_ doesn't – but Baleygr's excitement to hang out with this guy keeps forming uneasy pits in his gut.

And hey, even though Baleygr said it's completely platonic, Taranys still has no idea whether or not Tesarion thinks the same way.

Maybe it's the fact this has all been causing unneeded pressure, or that Taranys has become almost afraid to feel negative emotions after… everything in his past, but it all just starts boiling over one seemingly normal day. He's over at Baleygr's place, watching him braid his hair ever so sweetly.

"What's got you dressing so nicely?" Taranys tries to ask with love and care, but he's pretty sure he already knows the answer.

"Ah, nothing much, really." Baleygr hums, tightening the braid and slinging it over his shoulder. "Tesarion just wants to meet up again, get some lunch together and all that."

He's not sure why it leaves such a nasty taste in his mouth, or why it even spurs him on to say such a thing afterwards.

"I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound like a 'nothing much' thing to me."

Taranys instantly regrets it the second it leaves his mouth, but there's no way to take it back.

Baleygr's, understandably, quite confused and just a little aggressive. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying," Taranys says in a false airy tone, "ever since Tesarion came to the island it feels like you're devoting all your time to him."

Baleygr isn't the only one who's taken aback by how upset Taranys is.

"God, I've said this a million times now! I _just_ see him as a friend!"

"How am I supposed to know that, though?" Taranys throws his hands up into the air, "It just feels like you don't have any more time for me now that the first and best came back."

"Taranys, you know how much I like you!" Baleygr's really frustrated now, that's for certain.

"Are you sure you mean me?"

All that vitriol spewing out Taranys's mouth isn't something he'd normally say, he _knows_ it isn't, so why can't he stop himself from saying such a thing? The last thing he ever thought he wants is to hurt Baleygr, and right now, it really looks like he's doing just that.

"Look, I won't go if you don't want me to, but you've gotta believe me when I say I literally just see him as a friend," Baleygr shouts, "Is that what this is about? You don't trust me?!"

Right as Taranys opens his mouth to respond, he feels a familiar anger burn through him and sweep across his body. It's the kind that urges in the back of his head: _Do it, Taranys. Tell him what you __really__ think. Let him know how you __really __feel about that damn Ifrit and how he's ruined everything. Get your point across in the only way you know how_.

Soon, fear replaces that anger. One wrong word and an entire decade of constant therapy and anger management would've gone down the tube. He probably would've yelled, screamed, hit something… or someone. Taranys doesn't want to think about the possible consequences. He's been doing _so well_, too! Not one outburst in ten years!

Baleygr notices the look of terror that's stricken Taranys's face, and as he's about to ask what happened, Taranys speaks up first.

"…I'm sorry, but I – I think we need some time to cool off. Both of us, I mean."

All the fire raging inside Baleygr goes out once he fully processes Taranys's statement inside his head. "…Y-yeah, you're right."

Taranys edges his way to the door, all but _bolting_ out once he's close enough; hand over his mouth. He's not too sure whether or not he's going to cry right then and there in the hallway, but honestly, he wouldn't be too surprised if he is weak enough and does.

He's not going to cry. He's _definitely_ not going to cry. No, of course he's not going to cry. Who do you think he is, anyway? Thankfully for Taranys, he does manage to get back inside to his place before the tears start flowing, racking his body with quiet sobs as he presses his back against the door.

His knees are jelly now, and he's barely even able to keep himself from collapsing to a heap on the floor. Instead, he just settles for sliding down to the floor like the pathetic mess he is. Look at him; one little spat with a guy he's been with for about a month and he goes sobbing hysterically. What even spurred him on to say such awful things, anyway?

_You're an insecure waste of air who gets upset over your boyfriend having friends. That's what made you want to say that_.

Somehow, he really can't find it in him to tell that nasty voice in his head, "no, you're wrong."

Are they really just not meant to be together?

* * *

Baleygr paces back and forth in front of the bathroom mirror, patiently waiting for the guilt of being friends with an ex to hit him. Damn it all! Damn it, oh, damn it all! He knew it'd come back to bite him in the ass one of these days, not having one of those nasty, screaming breakups that most people seem to have. Now everyone thinks there will always be a lingering chance that, one day, he'd leave whoever he was with and go back to his old boyfriend.

"Oh, damn it all!" Baleygr curses for the second time in two minutes. He hates this. He hates himself, he hates his friendly nature, he just _hates_ it. Weirdly enough, though, he can't seem to find it in himself to harbor any hatred for Taranys. After all, he's the one who started this stupid squabble; surely Baleygr should be angry at him for saying those things, right?

Yet he doesn't.

Baleygr stares at his braid in the mirror, before pulling the tie off and shaking his hair loose. If he had any motivation to go to that meet-up before, he sure didn't now. He hadn't meant to hurt Taranys so badly; he really didn't, but now look at them. Baleygr's not really sure _what_ he wants now – a part of him wants to lie down in bed and cry, and another part wants to say "who _cares_ what he thinks?" and go anyway.

_I care, that's who_.

The first thing that comes into his mind is to walk over and apologize, but the look of fear on Taranys's faces comes back to his mind and makes him reconsider otherwise. What was he so afraid of, anyway? Is it… those anger issues he talked about before? Oh, he _wishes_ he could just find it in him to explain his point to Taranys.

He really did mean it when he said he liked Taranys that much. It's just… Oh, what is he supposed to do in a situation like this?


	9. Apologized for it All

_Alright, this is the LAST CHAPTER I have to write before I'm done with this fic. I already wrote C10 at around…C4? C5? I'm not sure._

_If you ever feel like I can be doing anything better or you have any praise, don't be afraid to tell me in the comments! As a straight girl who has never been in a relationship before, I would seriously appreciate any and all feedback that would tell me things like "after that fight I was like 'BALEYGR BREAK UP WITH HIM NOW THAT'S A RED FLAG'" so I know what to improve on in the future._

* * *

**Moment 9  
Apologized For it All**

It's only natural Baleygr was "zonked out," in Hwahee's words, throughout his entire shift. He keeps replaying the conversation over and over in his head, trying to figure out what the hell went wrong. Baleygr knows eventually, he's going to have to get it all out in the air with Taranys if he wants to recover and work through it, but right now he's _really_ not ready for it.

He's surprised it took her five hours to notice how he's moving like a zombie, taking and fulfilling orders without really paying attention to it. Baleygr's more surprised _five hours_ has passed since clocking in.

"Come on, you've been shuffling around all day," Hwahee urges, "Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

Baleygr dryly chuckles, "Yeah, I guess you _could_ say that."

"So what's going on in there?" She leads up with. "This ain't like you at all."

"Nothing, nothing, just…" What's the best way to sum up all _this_, anyway?" "…Relationship troubles."

As if _that_ wouldn't pique her interest.

"What about them?"

In any other circumstance, Baleygr wouldn't be spilling his entire life story to someone who he'd maybe consider work buddies at the most. But now he's desperate, so he takes a breath and goes through _everything_, from the first date to the argument. He will give her this: she listens to the entire problem, without a single laugh or judgment from her.

"What do you think?" Baleygr says once he takes a moment to breathe. "Did I really him off that badly?"

"…Wish I had some good advice to give," Hwahee says, pouring a drink and sliding it across the counter. "I've… well, I've never been in a relationship before, so take everything I say with a grain of salt."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for listening, though," He finds himself staring at all the snow falling outside again. It feels like years has passed since Taranys first came to the bar, where he looked so sleepy and cute Baleygr couldn't help but take him back home.

"Have you talked it out with him yet?"

Baleygr can't help the feeling of stupidity that washes over him as he answers, "…No, not yet. Honestly, I don't think we've even seen each other since the spat."

"Well, _there's_ your problem," She says. "How's he supposed to know how you feel if you don't tell him?"

Memories of Katarina urging him to finally fess up his feelings after their first kiss comes to mind.

"I get that, but how do I… well, how do I broach this kind of subject with him?"

"There's no good answer for that." Hwahee picks up another glass, though he's pretty sure it's more for her to idly fiddle with than anything else. "From what I've seen, making a relationship work isn't easy. You can't just send up a hot air balloon in the air with 'I love you, Partner's Name' declared on it like in the movies. Even I know that."

"Yeah, I know…" Baleygr shakes his head. "I really do like him, y'know. He seems like a nice man."

* * *

"I've ruined it all, didn't I?" Taranys gasps almost breathlessly while staring down at his reflection in the counter, "I screwed it all up with them because I got upset about an ex of theirs."

"Hey. Hey! Calm down," Hwa holds her hands up in their air, and Taranys is glad that the coffee shop is just about ready to close. "One little spat isn't going to ruin months of friendship and dating. Probably, anyway."

She must have seen the look of terror on his face, because her next comment was "Okay, okay, that was bad of me to say, sorry, but you get my point."

"And I know, Hwa – I _know_ I caused it all by throwing a hissy fit, but – oh, _god_, how do I even fix this? _Can_ I even fix this?"

Try as he might to act like he's got this all under control, Taranys knows what he is – an insecure, awkward dork who has never been in a relationship before Baleygr came along. It only took Hwa asking some vague 'are you okay' question before Taranys all but had a nervous breakdown.

"Hey, it's not that hard to apologize!" Hwa insists, her thick voice cutting through Taranys's panic. "Arrange a meet-up with them. Bring flowers or something, something they like. Just say something like 'I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to have such a fit,' and don't invalidate anything they say by being all like 'well it's your fault I got mad.' They really just want to be heard and have their side explained."

"But when would be a good time for that?"

"There's never a perfect time for anything. You just gotta… I dunno. Seize the moment? Things like that. If you want a good moment, you need to make a good moment."

Somehow, her words bring comfort to Tarnays in his time of panic (god, when is he _not_ panicking these days?).

"…Thank you, Hwa."

"Anytime," She says as she pulls up her hair tie up even higher on her head. "And hey, if you two like each other as much as you say you do, you'll be fine. Every relationship, no matter how healthy, will have its fair share of arguments."

"Baleygr, I'm sorry for getting so upset, I was wrong…" Taranys mumbles to himself over and over again under his breath. He turns _it_ over and over again in his hands, before shoving it down into a pocket in his coat. No use fiddling with it now. He'll probably screw it up by the time he's ready to give it to Baleygr.

Everything's going to be completely fine. Of course it is. Why would he think otherwise? Baleygr says he liked him, and who was he to call Baleygr a liar? Hell, he's probably thinking of a way to apologize, too.

Hwa's advice rings in Taranys's head, about how he just needs to own up to how he wrong and have some humility. Baleygr will probably understand if he just talks about how insecure he is and worried he'll never be as good as Tesarion… right? Oh, Taranys doesn't even know anymore.

He's standing there in the lobby room of the Guild Wars, patiently waiting for his team's turn to start while reciting what he's going to say for about the fiftieth time when none other than Baleygr crashes into him on his way to his battle. Amelia is off, taking care of some injuries on Perna at the last minute, so it's just the two of them.

"_¡Maldito sea!_" Baleygr groans, holding his shoulder.

_Oh, he's mad. Definitely mad_._ Might as well kiss the relationship goodbye, sucker._

By the time Baleygr realizes who it is, though, the tone in his voice changes all of a sudden. "Oh, Taranys!"

"B- Baleygr!" Taranys stammers, and everything that he's been practicing leaves his mind in an instant.

"I, uh, I… didn't expect to see you here," He admits, slowly reaching up and touching the back of his neck.

"Well, I mean, today's our rotation in Guild Wars, so…" Taranys trails off, wishing he knew _what_ to say.

It's just like when they first met now. Worse, even. At least before, their interactions felt natural and happy; just downright _real_. Now they're going to spend the rest of their days, having stilted small talk while looking for a perfect time to apologize.

Taranys can't have that.

"…Hey, are you free to talk?" He asks, cringing at how it came out. "I- I mean, later today, or now if –"

"Yeah, I think I got some time now, actually." Baleygr cuts him off, albeit unintentionally (he presumes, anyway). "Is this about –"

"I'm sorry."

Oh, there they go again, cutting each other off.

Baleygr breaks the awkward silence first. "…Hm?"

"I- …I said I'm sorry, for having such a fit over… well, you and Tesarion." It's not easy for Taranys to admit, not in the slightest. "Perhaps it's because you're my first relationship, or I'm really just insecure, but I got so upset and nervous, thinking I would never be as good as he was."

Taranys is rather taken aback when Baleygr then insists, "Wh- no, no, it's not your fault."

"But I'm the one who started this mess…"

"Sure, but it's not like I'm not the only one who stays friends with their exes after breakups, y'know?" Baleygr says, "I'm the only I know who doesn't hate their ex, actually. But, if you want me to stop talking to him, I –"

"Oh, no, no, no, I would never ask you to do that!" Taranys gasps, holding his hands up in the air, "I'd never want you to stop talking to someone just to be with me."

"Well, then what _do_ you want?" Baleygr says, "Because – and I mean this in the gentlest way possible, I really do – it kind of sounded like you didn't want me to be with him."

And there's the million-dollar question.

"…I don't know." Taranys finally admits, "I just… don't know what to do with my feelings. I don't want to get upset when I see you hanging out with a guy you used to date, but at the same time I… Oh, I'm sorry, I must sound like I'm going around in circles."

"Feelings are tricky things, hun." Baleygr offers up a sad smile tacked on at the end of his statement.

At least Taranys is back into "hun" territory. He really does like the way Baleygr almost rasps the syllable of affection in his ear.

"If it helps any, we can go together the next time Tesarion invites me. You'll see that we're really just chatting or something." Baleygr shrugs, "I know it's not a lot, but I guess it could help ease your mind a little."

Somehow, the simple gesture is enough to make Taranys smile. Baleygr really _does_ care about his feelings.

"Well, it's a start," Taranys hums softly, "But… I don't want to argue anymore. I hate feeling like I've hurt you in ways words can't describe."

"Yeah, me neither." Baleygr looks down at his feet, suddenly unable to make eye contact anymore. "…And, hun?"

"Hm?"

"If you ever feel this way again, let me know, alright? We'll work a solution out together, so we don't… y'know."

Oh, Baleygr still wants to stay with him! That's lovely! A rock formed in his stomach from the hours of anxiety Taranys suffered disappears at least.

"Oh! That reminds me, um…" Now that he's about to say it out loud, it sounds a lot more stupid, but Taranys bites the bullet and goes on. "…My coworker, Hwa, said that when I'm making it up to you, I should… get you flowers or something? I'm sorry, that sounds dumb, but… I did finish this for you."

He reaches back into his coat, pulling out the vine crown he's been working on almost nonstop. Blue bellflowers adorn the vines, bursting with as much life and love as Taranys could put in it.

"I know they're not roses, I'm still working on that, but…" Taranys chuckles, "I hoped the gesture would be enough."

Taranys barely even has time to finish his sentence before Baleygr has his lips on his. Seconds of time seem to slow into minutes, hours even, for Taranys. Nimble hands press down on his shoulders, and Taranys can barely think enough to reciprocate on Baleygr.

He doesn't even hear when the Summoner announces Guild Battles will be starting in one minute, or Amelia hysterically crying on the ground. Sure, it isn't in the most romantic place, he could make up with him in a fancy restaurant or something, but… that's just not him.

This feels so _right_.


	10. Fell in Love

_This is it. We finally got the last chapter of Golden Hair up and ready to read for you all. I'm super excited to share this with you all! I hoped you all enjoyed it, because I know I did! I'm sorry the last chapter isn't any longer, or more powerful or something, but honestly, anything else didn't feel… right. Y'know what I mean by that?_

_If you liked what I've written, why not leave a comment about what you liked, what I could improve, and all that? This is my first romance-centric story I've written, and I'd love to get better! But in the meantime, I'm AwesomeTrinket, and if you like my stuff, why not follow me so you can read some of my other stuff in the future?_

* * *

**Moment 10  
Fell in Love**

Baleygr's eyes close as he yawns deeply. Taranys has an arm wrapped around Baleygr's shoulders, holding him close to his chest as he goes on about that one enemy team that he'd fought off that day.

"Artamiel was a real nightmare to deal with, though," Taranys goes on, "It felt like he could always find an opportunity to counterattack one of us, no matter which attack we used on him!"

"Well, that's why Artamiel's so well-regarded, I guess," Baleygr shrugs. "But did you manage to win that battle?"

Taranys scrapes up the memories of the Real Time Arena battle, "Barely. Amelia and I were the only one left, actually."

Baleygr bites his tongue, to try and stifle a laugh at the unfortunate circumstances. "Oh, _no_."

"Oh, yes. The mood was so awkward," Taranys can't help the grin forming across his face now, "She managed to freeze him long enough for us to gang up against him and win. But, anyway, that's about all I did today."

"Still sounds like you had a more exciting day than I did," Baleygr grins. "Katarina and I were stuck against Khi'zar Kha'jul all day. It got real difficult after that sudden spike in power the other day. I think he's actually going past Chloe's invincibility spell!"

"Well, I still think you're doing wonderful, though."

It's been about half a year now, since the whole conundrum with Tesarion. Taranys was right; his and Baleygr's relationship has its ups and downs, but more often than not, he can't help but find himself feeling so _happy_ whenever he's with him. It's so pleasant to come home after a long day of endless fighting within the Guild Battles, Siege, and sometimes even the Dimension of Ellunia, and just melt into Baleygr's arms.

Baleygr hums softly, only half-focusing on the show in front of him and Taranys and instead leaning into the warmth of his touch. The couch is cozy, and the night drags on outside. Baleygr's sure that if he pokes his head out the window, he'll be able to see thousands and thousands of stars; the same stars that have witnessed countless people meet one another, fall in love, and share passionate kisses together.

Sure, their relationship isn't perfect, but that only makes everything feel so much better.

Taranys leans up against Baleygr, sighing, "I love you, Bay."

As Baleygr sits upright and looks right at it, it suddenly occurs to Taranys that neither of them had said it to each other before. _This is the first time either of them said their 'I love you's._

"Oh – oh, I'm so sorry, is it too soon for you?" Taranys gasps, bringing a hand to his mouth. "You don't have to say it back if you don't feel the same way yet, you know; I completely understand, I really do –"

The fact that Baleygr's smiling doesn't seem to register to Taranys as he tries desperately to backpedal and give reassurances.

"I love you too, sweet potato," Baleygr says, effectively cutting Taranys off as he reaches up to kiss him on the forehead.

Never has five simple words sounded so amazing to him.

"…you really mean it?" He whispers, almost afraid to break the magic of the moment. "You're not just saying that?"

The Lightning Emperor closes his eyes, resting his head on Taranys's chest. His heartbeat's fast and erratic, "Taranys, I swear from the bottom of my heart that I really, truly mean it. I love you."

Taranys's face starts to burn, just as it did long ago, during the very first moments when he first met Baleygr on the Fusion Hexagram. But this time, his blushing is not from intimidation of how downright beautiful Baleygr is, but instead sheer happiness. Baleygr loves him. He really, truly loves him. The happiness blooming in his chest is unlike anything else he's ever felt before.

"In that case, I love you more." Taranys gives a playful grin to Baleygr, who scoffs in mock outrage.

"As if! If there's anyone here who loves his boyfriend more, it's me!"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm pretty sure it's me," Taranys says.

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Ugh, you and all your damn love for me," Baleygr can't keep up the farce anymore, and breaks into a smile that seems to light up the room.

Sure, Taranys may not believe in "love at first sight," but that doesn't mean that he doesn't believe in love.


End file.
